I Have Returned
by AzureArchxngel
Summary: Chizuru was mysteriously kidnapped, and was absent for years. This left everyone in the Shinsengumi extremely worried. Where had she gone? No one knows. Simply vanished without a trace. Now, in an everlasting and struggling war, Chizuru has made her appearance. This time, she's changed. What are these sudden visions she has? Who is the man in gold? Who are these other two men?
1. The Beginning and End

**Azure: Hey! Azure is back! With another story ( owo)**

 **Souji: Really?**

 **Azure: Yep!  
**

 **Heisuke: What about your other story "Promise"? Weren't you going to rewrite that?**

 **Azure: Yes, about that. I will rewrite "Promise", but I've had the idea for this story for a long time, and I'm still trying to figure out what to do for "Promise". Should I change anything? Make it better? I still haven't figured that out yet. So in the mean time, I'm going to be writing this story! :3**

 **Saito: What is the pairing going to be?**

 **Azure: PLOT TWIST. I'm actually going to be writing a Souji x Chizuru fanfiction! Believe it or not, I ship Saito x Chizuru and Souji x Chizuru equally. However, since this is my first time writing a Souji x Chizuru fanfiction, so it's probably going to suck lol**

 **Hijikata: Yes, it probably will.**

 **Azure: Wow thanks. Oh! I almost forgot! I will have two male OCs in this story, but don't worry! I know for some people, having OCs in fanfictions annoys them a lot, especially if the OC is being shipped with one of the characters from Hakuouki. None of that is happening, but these two OCs do play a bit of an important role. This story is also a bit of an AU. With that out of the way, let's enjoy the story!**

* * *

"Tch." A seemingly young man standing by a window growled in disappointment. 'Where are they? They were suppose to be here a few minutes ago!' He thought bitterly as he turned away from the outside view. If anything pushed his buttons, it would be when someone was late without having a reasonable excuse as to why they were late. Or if they didn't inform him that they would be late ahead of time.

The man's patience was quickly running out as he began to pace the dimly lighted room before stopping in front of the window once more. Crimson eyes were slowly drawn to the beautiful scene outside. A bird chirped outside, and the man found it perched on a maple branch just outside of the window. Curiously, he held out a finger to the bird, and examined as the black and white bird flew over to land on the man's outstretched finger. It gave another chirp before flying away. Away from the man, the room, and flew to the world beyond.

The man felt a bit more at peace than before. Still. Anger slowly began to consume him once more before two darkened figures seemed to arrive out of thin air behind the blond.

"Finally." The blond haired man snarled before his fierce scarlet eyes fixated on the silhouettes kneeling before him. "You know I hate it when people keep me waiting. You two, out of many, should know that by know." One of the mysterious figures stood up, and gave a deep bow to the man in front of him, whom appeared to be his superior. "I apologize, Kazama-sama. We ran into some complications before we departed." The blond, named Kazama, gave a sniff of distrust. "And... what might that be?" He asked slowly before the bowing figure gave him an answer. "Our clan was very persistent in knowing where we were traveling too. We had to convince them that we were going somewhere else, rather than here."

Kazama slowly felt his rage subsiding as he listened to his subordinate's story. Yes, that seemed like a convincing reason. He knew how distrusting and suspicious the Himura clan was about many things. Another grunt from the man as he turned away from the silhouettes. "Fine. I'll let you off this time."

The other figure, who was still kneeling on the floor, rose up next to the already standing shadow beside him. Both bowed in unison to the crimson eyed demon. "Thank you for your forgiveness, Kazama-sama." The smaller figure of the pair spoke up, his voice slightly higher than his deep-voice companion on his left.

Kazama gave a cough before turning toward the mysterious pair once more. "Now. Do you know the reason why I called you here today?" He drawled in his deep tone as the taller figure gave a small shrug. "We have a suspicion about what it might be, but we do not know your exact reason Kazama-sama." "Before I tell you," The man began, his pupils slits as he glared at the two - now standing - shapes in front of him. "haven't I already told you two enough to stop calling me 'Kazama-sama'? Honestly, I trust you two about as much as Amagiri and Shiranui. Just 'Kazama' or even 'Chikage' is all right."

The pair's eyes widened in surprise, and as soon as the pureblooded demon turned his head to gaze outside, the silhouettes turned their heads towards each other. Since when was Kazama so considerate regarding trivial matters like this? He practically wanted everyone and everything to worship him. Still, to remove any suspicions about them, the pair nodded their heads in agreement.

"Very well. We will act as you requested Chikage." The smaller one said as Kazama gave a smirk. "So, what were you going to talk about earlier?" The taller figure inquired, already feeling much more comfortable without having to speak and act like a servant.

"Mmm. Yes, it's about that woman." The blond mumbled before facing the pair once more and taking a step closer to them. 'Figured.' The short figure thought, seemingly with boredom as he focused his attention on the demon once more. The taller one, however, stayed silent and anxiously waited for the information to come.

Yes, that woman.

That woman, according to many, is supposedly the last pureblood female of the demons. Alive at least. Kazama, desperate to revive the demon clans, has searched for her for years. Apparently, she is of the Yukimura clan in the east, and is known as "Yukimura Chizuru". Heard as being rather "plain" when it comes to looks, with long, straight brown hair and large cinnamon eyes. Chizuru's parents died when she was only little. The deaths were caused by greedy humans who sought out the demons for power and their assistance in war. When the Yukimuras had refused, the humans retaliated. And so, Chizuru was sent to live with a distant relative of the Yukimura clan, Yukimura Koudou. There she grew up in Edo with her "father" until recently, her caretaker disappeared. A few days later, Chizuru went missing as well. So far, for almost a year, no demon has heard anything of her whereabouts. Not even Nagumo Kaoru, her twin brother, knew of where she was.

"Yukimura Chizuru." Kazama exclaimed her name aloud before casting a look of seriousness and... slight happiness? "We have found her location." Happiness soared through the taller figure's heart, giving a small smile of victory while his partner pumped his fist in rejoice. "Hell yeah! So, where is she?" The shorter silhouette asked impatiently before Kazama answered.

"She is staying with the Wolves of Mibu."

The Wolves of Mibu. More commonly known as the Shinsengumi.

"The Shinsengumi? Of all places, why there?" The smaller darkened figure complained as Kazama frowned in annoyance. "Like hell I know. Amagiri was the one who told me. We don't know why she's there, nor _how_ she got there. Just the fact that she is residing with the Wolves of Mibu is all we know."

'Hmm. This will be harder than we thought.' The taller man thought disappointingly. "Retrieving her will be slightly harder than what we had originally thought." The crimson eyed man muttered, voicing the darkened figure's exact words as he sat roughly on the floor. The tatami mats slightly cushioned his sudden weight as the silhouetted pair plopped onto the floor mere seconds afterward.

"With help from Amagiri and Shiranui, we will attack tomorrow morning. Having said that, you two may leave now. Just arrive here at the brink of dawn." With that, the pureblooded demon named Kazama Chikage disappeared from sight.

The pair stood up, and began to trail out of the room before exiting the building entirely. The afternoon sun illuminated the mysterious figures, revealing their identities.

The taller one, named Tachibana Reiki. He is the eldest son of the Tachibana clan chief, and is one of the few pureblooded males left. Also known for his slightly unusual appearance. Standing at about 5'8", broad shouldered, with short, mossy green hair and equally green eyes. He always has two beaded necklaces on, which is an artifact passed through the Tachibana successors for generations. He usually dresses in dark colored kimonos, complete with a pair of woven sandals and a katana and a kodachi on the left side of his hips.

The shorter one, named Tachibana Hibiki. The younger brother of Reiki, and also one of the last pureblood males. Hibiki stands at 5'5", with long, bright red hair that reaches a little bit past his shoulders, with bright, violet eyes. He can usually be found clad in a simple colored kimono, with a fancy haori worn on his shoulders without his arms in the sleeves. On each ankle, there is a band made out of woven straw. His outfit is complete with a katana and a kodachi on his left hip, and woven sandals.

The brothers continued walking down a dirt path in silence, which began to enter a thick forest. Suddenly, Reiki stopped, while Hibiki also paused to see what was wrong.

"Tonight." Reiki mumbled, staring at the ground, while Hibiki blinked at his older brother. "Tonight? What do you mean?" He asked with confusion, walking toward his older brother. "I mean tonight. We'll do it tonight." Suddenly, everything clicked for the shorter male. "This evening? Are you sure?" The red haired demon questioned the green haired one, who gave a look of slight anger. "Chikage told us that we would retrieve Yukimura-sama tomorrow morning right? So we're going to do it tonight, before Chikage and Kyuuju and Kyo have the chance. Or do you not remember?" Hibiki glared at his sibling before giving a "Hmph!" "Of course I remember. It's you're fault for being vague!" The shorter demon pointed a finger accusingly at Reiki, as the said man gave a sigh. "We don't have time for this. We need to get back to prepare and before father starts to worry." Hibiki's previous anger deflated. And once more, the two disappeared in a flash from the darkening sky.

* * *

The female demon paused her chore of cleaning empty sake bottles to lift her head towards the waxing moon. The tiny illuminated part of the silver orb in the sky sent caressing rays to the earth below, and it never failed to calm the woman down.

Tonight, however, was an exception.

The rays felt strangely eerie, as if it were warning her of something in the future. Being the humble girl she was, she could only fret for the captains and commanders of the Shinsengumi. Worry consumed her being as she stood up and walked toward the middle of the courtyard, the sake bottles now forgotten. Cinnamon eyes shifted nervously toward the crescent shape as a sinking feeling could be felt within her stomach.

'Why... does it feel that something terrible is going to happen...' She thought as her frown deepened under the dim lighting. A gale blew across the Shinsengumi compound, making the demon shiver. Winter was going to arrive soon. A small part of the woman began to shout with delight upon the thought of snow. Oh the snow. The white, frozen droplets of water that sailed to the ground that was a beauty all in its own. A smile soon replaced her frown as she thought of possibly watching the snow fall with some of her comrades and friends, especially Saito Hajime-san. The girl had discovered earlier that the violet haired man seemed to have a liking towards the snow. What the cold also meant, was everyone sitting around the blazer, enjoying a cup of tea, or maybe even some roasted potatoes as they discussed their rounds.

The previous unease came back, and it began to haunt the demon. Her intuition was yelling, practically screeching at the girl that something horrible was going to happen. She almost felt like she was going to cry when a voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Oi? Chizuru-chan?~ Have you finished cleaning the bottles?" Shouting from around the corner was Okita Souji, captain of the first division. Chizuru gasped in surprise as her name was called. "Ah, yes? What is it?" She cried back, having not heard Souji's question.

She ran toward his voice, which happened to be where the sake bottles were. His gorgeous emerald eyes sparkled mischievously down on the brown haired woman, who looked up at him with an expectancy to restate his question.

"Have you finished cleaning the sake bottles?" He asked in a light tone, his arms crossed as Chizuru gave a look of slight horror. "Oh! That's right! I'm sorry Okita-san, I haven't them yet..." Her eyes trailed to the ground in shame, as the fear slowly began invading her mind once more. Her reply made Souji a bit surprised. "Really?~ You're usually pretty diligent when it comes to your tasks. What have you been doing inste-" The captain stopped himself upon seeing the clearly visible worry on the girl's face.

'Huh?' Souji peered curiously at the girl, before asking about the look she was giving. "Chizuru-chan? Is something bothering you?" Immediately, the woman's head popped up as she shook it vigorously. "Eh? No, no I'm fine!" She denied. However, her plan of trying to deny her obvious fear backfired as her voice wavered. "Chizuru-chan, you can't hide anything from me," Souji began as he squatted, balancing on the heels of his feet as his eyes fixated on Chizuru's. "what's wrong Chizuru-chan?"

Having lost, the demon once again revealed her look of extreme fear and worry. "I don't why, but, Okita-san, I have a terrible feeling... something bad is going to happen... no matter how many times I try to look on the bright side, my worries keep popping up. They won't go away." Souji listened patiently as the girl expressed what she was feeling. He was honestly quite shocked. This girl was usually so happy, so carefree. It seemed almost impossible to Souji that she could feel sadness, worry, etc. over things. But this... this was something entirely different. A fear that something bad was going to happen that won't go away... Well, knowing the girl and how she acts, it wasn't a surprise to Souji that she hasn't finished the sake bottles of the gnawing fear. This most likely meant... that something terrible was indeed going to happen. What though, neither of them could say.

"So please... Okita-san, be careful when you go out on patrol tonight..." Chizuru mumbled, practically trembling before the auburn haired captain stood up, and placed a gentle hand on the girl's head. "Don't worry. I promise to be cautious. But that means you also have to be cautious too, nee~? Promise me that Chizuru-chan." The female demon couldn't help but smile because of Souji's actions. "Yes!" She exclaimed before Souji gave one final grin before leaving Chizuru alone in the courtyard once more.

Or so she thought. Souji had stopped feet away from the girl, and pondered about her fears. 'Chizuru-chan's intuition is usually correct. Something should happen. I should warn the others about it.' The man, having made up his mind, continued to walk again, this time, to the common room instead of his original destination.

In the common room, sat Kondou Isami, Hijikata Toshizou, and Saito Hajime. They're eyes widened slightly upon seeing Souji at the doorway. "Souji? I thought you started patrol already." Hijikata questioned, clearly annoyed with that fact that Souji actually _hadn't_ started his patrol yet. Kondou and Hajime also gave Souji a look, seemingly wanting to know _why_ Souji hadn't begun yet.

"I was talking with Chizuru-chan out in the courtyard earlier." Souji answered with a small grin on his face, just to push Hijikata's buttons. It worked, as the Vice Commander scowled at the captain. "Why the hell were you doing that? You have work to do. And I'm assuming Yukimura hasn't finished her chores yet." It was at that point that Souji's smile faded and was replaced with something much more serious.

"About that," The man started, leaning against the frame of the door before revealing what he had earlier learned. "I went to ask if she had finished cleaning the sake bottles, but instead I found her off in her thoughts. When I asked her why she was distracted from work, well... her answer kind of disturbed me." At this, Hajime threw a quizzical glance toward his comrade. "Disturbed you?" Souji only nodded. "She told me that she had a terrible fear that something bad was going to happen soon, and that her fears would always come back. She looked really helpless and terrified... it kind of put me on edge. I guess I just haven't really seen her act this way before." Souji paused to look back at the three sitting on the floor. "I just thought I should warn you guys. Chizuru's intuition is right most of the time."

After hearing the news, Hijikata gave a nod toward the green eyed man. "We'll keep it in mind. I will agree that Yukimura's instincts are pretty sharp." Kondou gave a grunt in agreement.

"Thank you~" After muttering those words, Souji shut the sliding door and began to stride towards the gate, where his first division was waiting to begin their rounds.

Chizuru, meanwhile, had just finished cleaning the last of the sake bottles. Finally having finished her task, the woman gave a small yet triumphant smile. She picked up the tray with the sake bottles in it, and made her way the kitchen. Putting the clay bottles back in their correct place, she quickly ran over her list of chores in her head. 'Everything's finished! I'll probably have to ask someone of they can accompany me shopping tomorrow for food, but I can finally go to bed.' The girl thought as she walked toward her room.

Sliding the paper door to her room open, she quietly sneaked into the room before closing the door, careful not to disturb anyone who might be asleep. Changing into a white sleeping yukata, Chizuru was ready for bed. Burrowing under the covers, she already began to succumb to sleep's inviting arms. However, her fear had never left her.

* * *

Hibiki grumbled as he stood outside of Reiki's room. Oh sure, his older brother had to nag and nag to Hibiki constantly about hurrying up, and getting ready quickly, but now Reiki is taking his sweet time? He should know how important this mission is! Retrieving Chizuru - not kidnapping, just to make sure you don't get confused - is probably _the most_ important thing that they will ever do. At least to the brothers anyway.

At this point, the red haired demon was about to barge into Reiki's room when his door flew open. "Are you done?! After annoying me about making sure I hurry up, you can take as long as you want?!" The green haired demon only snorted in response.

"Because I knew that you would take even longer than me." "So what was that just now?!" Hibiki retorted furiously as Reiki formed a scowl of his own. "That's the average time it takes for me to get dressed dumbass. But maybe because you were already done, it felt longer to you. I'm sorry, this is something that your brain can't even comprehend." "Why you little-" However, the shorter man held his tongue. He almost forgot the fact that they were about to leave. Reiki seemed to notice this, and gave an affectionate smile while ruffling Hibiki's hair.

"Sorry, we'll save this for another time. I'm a bit tense too, so I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Don't worry, nothing will go wrong; after all, we've been preparing for this for years right?" Reiki finished as Hibiki gave a determined grin. Of course. This was the most important thing of their entire lives. They needed Chizuru. They depended on her. She was their everything. Their family knew it too, although they had no idea of the crazy idea that Reiki and Hibiki came up with.

"Let's go. It's time." The dead of night. Twelve a.m. in the morning. The brothers gave a nod to each other before disappearing into the night.

* * *

Souji soon found out on patrol what Chizuru had meant. She was right. The entire place felt ominous, everywhere in the streets of Kyoto. Even his men could sense it. It was as if the air itself was made entirely out of miasma, and it made you want to gag.

The walk through the Kyoto streets was almost completely silent. No one dared to talk, unless it was Souji reminding his men of something, or some of the warriors making idle chat. If that was the case, it didn't last long until someone either shut them up, or they were simply to tense and nervous to continue.

So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. A few people here and there talking a walk, - why, no one could say - and the red light district was alive with excitement and men who drunk themselves silly. At this point, it seemed almost impossible that something could happen, no matter what it was.

The first division eventually finished their rounds, and began to head back to the Shinsengumi headquarters to sleep. Though the air was still thick with a feeling that Souji couldn't place, the rest of his group seemed to be a bit more lively. Possibly because of the fact that their terrifying night was uneventful. "You worry too much!" One cheery man from Souji's division exclaimed to Souji himself. The auburn haired man only gave a shrug before coming to a stop. "You guys go on ahead. I'm quite warm at the moment, so I'll be cooling myself off here." He informed the soldiers, pointing to the gate which lead to the inside of the Shinsengumi compound. His men all nodded simultaneously before marching inside.

As soon as his division was out of sight, Souji instantly frowned and squinted his emerald eyes, quickly scanning both the inside of the outside of the headquarters. The rank and file soldiers must have missed it, but it was loud and clear to Souji.

Someone else was here.

* * *

Chizuru was pulled from her sub conscious state and was brought to the present by the sound of her door sliding open ever so quietly. How she had even noticed it, she had no idea, but immediately she felt a presence in the room. Two people were in her room. Chizuru didn't dare to open her eyes, not yet at least. This presence was foreign.

Unless something serious had happened, no one would enter her room. It could be that one of the rasetsu had gotten loose, but they would have been much louder about their arrival. Who was in here?

Then, she heard the voices. Very quiet, but her acute sense of hearing did fairly well to make out most of what the strangers were saying.

" _That's her? Are you sure? She... look like... kimura heir."_

What? Something along the lines of... She doesn't look like the Yukimura heir? Why are they talking about her family?

 _"That's her. Chizuru Yukimura in the flesh and blood."_

 _"...ctually quite cute in ...er sleep."_

 _"...being a pervert!"_

All of a sudden, the female demon had heard a muffled smack.

 _"Silence! ...at if you... her up?!"_

 _"Then why did you... it me?!"_

She then heard someone in the room sigh. He obviously seemed a bit annoyed with whoever was accompanying them.

 _"We don't have time for this ...eady about three hours away from dawn; ...to hurry before Kazama starts... uspecting us."_

Alright. This has gone far too long. Who are these people?! Chizuru had to find out, but she had to do it cautiously. These people could be armed, and they might kill her if they found out that she was actually awake. What could she do to "wake up" without it being too obvious that she was already awake?

...An idea soon came to mind.

The girl began to fake cough, as realistic as possible, before slowly sitting up with closed and tired eyes.

"...I guess I slept with my mouth open again... I'm quite parched..."

 _"Shit! She's awake!"_ One of them whispered fiercely and frantically. Chizuru gave a mental smile. It seemed like her plan was convincing.

 _"Then we need to get her now! Get her!"_ Someone else told the previous voice commandingly.

...Wait, what?

Suddenly, a pair of arms threw themselves around the woman's petite frame as Chizuru's cinnamon eyes instantly flew open with surprise. "Hey! Let go!" She screeched as she began to thrash. "Stay still." The second voice she heard whispered coldly as the demon's body froze. That voice was not to be taken lightly.

The pair of arms shifted their position on Chizuru as soon as the one holding her was sure she wouldn't do anything. The woman was now carried bridal style in the arms of whomever was carrying her, as the three of them exited her room. Under the very dim moonlight, she caught a quick glimpse of one of her captors.

Bright red hair that reached the man's shoulders. A color that reminded Chizuru of the Ochimizu. Her blood chilled with fear. What was going to happen to her?

They quickly ran across the courtyard, and leaped with surprising skill onto the fence. As the other man - she assumed - who was carrying her in his arms begin to whisper to the bright haired male, Chizuru examined her surroundings until her heart lifted with joy upon seeing a familiar face.

Souji.

She opened her mouth to shout out to him, but soon closed it. These men could kill her. Would it really be worth it? She thought of the situation she was currently in, and went over her captors' earlier conversation. It seemed like they needed her for _something._ Whatever it was, they wouldn't kill her. With all the courage and determination she had, she inhaled, and screamed out his name.

"SOUJI!" She felt a tremendous pain in her head. Then everything went black.

* * *

The strange presence that Souji had sensed earlier had never left, which made the poor man increasingly more nervous by the second. Chizuru may have been right after all. Eventually, the captain couldn't stand it, and began to wander the campus.

Eventually, he passed by Chizuru's room, and noticed that her door was wide open. Souji cocked his head in confusion. 'Chizuru-chan rarely leaves during the night. If so, she always closes her door...'

Realization dawned on him, and Souji began running. "Chizuru!" He called out over and over, and yet got no response. It wasn't until he arrived back near the entrance when he heard her voice.

"SOUJI!"

He looked up and saw a very distressed Chizuru-chan in the arms of an unknown man, and another standing right besides him.

"CHIZURU!" He yelled out in response. The two men seemed to panic, and knocked out Chizuru before vanishing into thin air. "CHIZURU!" Souji yelled as the men and the girl were no longer in sight.

The ruckus had forced the captains and the commanders out of sleep as Souji saw them running his way.

"Souji, what happened?!" Hijikata demanded as soon as they arrived.

"It's Chizuru. She was kidnapped."

* * *

 **Azure: Whew! This is probably the longest chapter I've ever written!**

 **Saito: ...Should we be happy?**

 **Azure: Should you?**

 **Saito: ...**

 **Azure: Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed! I've been pretty busy lately, so it might take a while before the next update. I also apologize if any of the characters are a bit OOC. I'll also be checking my spelling and grammar, and I will update this chapter again to make sure it's correct. Thanks!**

 **Souji: Please Rate and Review in the comments below. Also, Heisuke! You forgot your job that you were suppose to do in the introduction!**

 **Heisuke: What job?**

 **Hijikata: IDIOT! You forgot the the honors?!**

 **Heisuke: ...Oh. Um, ahahahaha... Azure doesn't own Hakuouki or any of it's characters...**

 **Harada: Idiot! What's the point in doing it now?!**


	2. The Man In Gold

**Azure: HEY GUYS, GUESS WHO'S BACK FROM THE DEAD? Honestly, I've really, really tried to update as much as possible, but it's been so hard with my busy schedule ;;v;; I've also had a lot of writer's block for this story, which is actually kind of weird for me. Whatever. I also forgot that during the summer I have to work at a daycare with a bunch of hyperactive little children five days a week, so I wasn't able to update then.  
**

 **Harada: But, I thought you were only fifteen...?  
**

 **Azure: I don't know, they do this weird thing for teenagers. Anyway, this is chapter two of "I Have Returned"! How do you guys like it so far?**

 **Souji: Why the hell did you make Chizuru get kidnapped?**

 **Azure: Because that's part of the story. Your point?**

 **Souji: ...**

 **Saito: I think what he means is that why would you put Chizuru in danger.**

 **Azure: Because it's part of the story! It's suppose to be interesting and plot twist-y. At least I hope it is...**

 **Hijikata: You're never going to become a writer if you don't have confidence in your work.**

 **Azure: SHUSH! That's personal!**

 **Ignescent: You're asking for it man.**

 **Hijikata: *le shrugs***

 **Azure: Good grief you guys. Also, Ignescent and I have decided to assign jobs to all of you. Heisuke, you'll be doing honors-**

 **Heisuke: Is this because I forgot last time?**

 **The beginning of the story is a dream/vision that Chizuru is having before she wakes up ~**

* * *

 _"Chizuru-chan."_

 _A voice like that of tinkling bells. Soft, pleasing to the ears. Although how lovely and pleasant this voice is, I find myself confused as I subconsciously search for it's owner._

 _Why? Why do I yearn for this voice? Why does this voice remind me of so much joy, yet so much misery?_

 _"Chizuru-chan, come over here."_

 _There it is again. My heart leaps at it's sound. Next thing I know, I'm running. I can't see anything. I am in a black abyss; no light, no nothing. Only this voice and I. I feel normal overall, with the occasional throbbing of my head. I find myself in the white sleeping yukata I put on before I fell asleep, and my hair is now undone from it's usual ponytail. It flows down my back like a river and dances as I run._

 _Then I hear a sigh._

 _"Why are you so afraid?"_

 _"...I've never met another demon besides my own family. I don't know how to act. I don't know if I should be afraid."_

 _That's a surprise. My own voice, from when I was little. Ah yes, this conversation seemed familiar._

 _"Is that all?" A gentle giggle can be heard, and my face begins to feel a bit warm._

 _"You don't have to be afraid of me Chizuru-chan. I won't bite you!"_

 _"...Does that mean you bite other people then?" The mysterious voice snorts at my question, before releasing a loud, cheerful laugh._

 _"No Chizuru-chan. I don't bite anyone. I mean that I'm a nice person; I won't hurt you. Especially when you're this cute!" Another giggle from the mysterious voice, and I felt my younger self give a small smile in satisfaction._

 _After a pause, I felt a warm, glowing light behind me. It was a bit overwhelming at first, so I found myself squinting to shield my eyes. When the light died down, there was an image in front of me._

 _There I was, my younger self standing by a tree in front of my house as smaller figure ran up to be by my side._

 _"Hey! Why are you talking to my sister?!"_

 _Kaoru._

 _"Oh? Ah. You must be Yukimura Kaoru-san, the feisty one." Within the image displayed, I could not see the owner of the beautiful voice. It saddened me. Who was this person?_

 _"I asked, why are you talking to-" "Kaoru. That's enough!" Came the scolding tone of a woman who was walking towards us. My... mother?_

 _"Kaoru, you were suppose to leave these two alone so they could get to know each other!" "But mother! This guy was scaring her!" My mother quickly took hold of one of Kaoru's cheeks to shut him up. "I'm very certain he was not trying to scare her. He has such a gentle demeanor! Your sister is also very shy and timid when meeting new people. I could understand why..." My mother sighed and removed her hand, only to grip onto Kaoru's wrist. "Kaoru, we are leaving." My mother told him firmly as she dragged an infuriated Kaoru away from the stranger and I._

 _"...I'm, sorry... Onii-sama... is..." The man only gave another laugh in return. "No, it's quite alright. It seems like he cares for you a lot!" The younger me only seemed to be able to give a halted nod at the man's observation. Even though only seen through a mere image of light, I could tell that I had finally started to trust the intriguing stranger back then.  
_

 _Suddenly, a clap could be heard as the young me turned to face toward the male demon. "Well! Anyway, I think we still have some more time to talk..." "You have to leave at sunset don't you?" My younger self asked the man as he seemed to hum in confirmation._

 _"Yes, it's about noon now, so we have plenty of time!" Finally, I was able to see some part of the man. An outstretched hand toward the younger me. "I do hope that we get along well Chizuru-chan!" My younger self gave a bright smile, and grabbed the man's hand._

 _Suddenly, the light vanished. My current self was all alone in the dark once more. Or so I had thought._

 _Another light appeared before me, this time, seemingly taking the form of a man. Through the bright light, I could barely make out long, flowing golden hair. And then there were the eyes. Wide, beautiful eyes, the color of rubies under moonlight. Gorgeous. And also full of pain. The hurt in this man's eyes were so overwhelming, it made me feel like I wanted to cry. The thing that hurt even more, was that there was a definite history behind it._

 _Then the figure spoke._

 _"Chi-Chizuru-chan?"_

 _Not knowing what to do, I simply cocked my head to the side in question._

 _Which put the man in greater sorrow._

 _"Oh... I see..." I caught a glimpse of a tear as it fell from the ruby eyes. And the next sentence wrenched my heart in half.  
_

 _"You don't... remember me... do you..."  
_

* * *

 _...What was that?_

* * *

I gasped and awoke with a start as a hand flew to grab hold of the white fabric that covered my chest. My heart was beating wildly - from what, I couldn't tell which. However, many emotions swirled in my heart. Fear. Curiosity. Sadness. Happiness. And... Love? Where are all of these coming from?

The grip of the yukata fabric loosened as I began to calm down. Was it a dream? No, it seemed so much more real then that. Besides... that man... I don't know why... but... the feeling of that I know him... is very strong.

' _Alright Chizuru, try to remember as much as you can! Go back to the earliest days you can think of!"_ So with new resolve, I closed my eyes and began to think.

It seems like we knew each other from when we were young... Since the man did seem a bit younger in the image than when he appeared in front of me. Childhood friends maybe? ...No, I don't think so. The only person I really remember playing with is Kaoru... He might of been an acquaintance of my real parents, and he called himself a demon, so he's probably from a demon clan!

 _'Alright, now think Chizuru. Shiny, blond hair, and beautiful ruby eyes... What does that remind you of?'_

My eyes went wide and my mouth fell open in shock. Suddenly, I felt numb. No. It... It couldn't be! But... it's uncanny how similar they look...

"Yukimura-sama."

The answer to that questions was not a "what", but rather a "who".

"Yukimura-sama!"

That man... bore almost an exact appearance to-

 _ **CLAP!**_

I blinked and jumped in my seat from being startled. My eyes readjusted to the new environment I was in, and examined the room. It was very fancy and lavished, almost like a room you would find at the emperor's palace. I was in a large futon at the center of the room, still in my sleeping yukata.

Then, I saw two men sitting in front of me.

Wherever this was, it definitely wasn't the Shinsengumi headquarters.

One man seemed much older and much more mature than the other, with short, mossy green hair and equally green, mossy eyes. He didn't show as much concern as the other one did, who looked like he was about to cry.

The other, shorter man had bright red hair that went a little past his shoulders and striking violet eyes, a lot like Hijikata-san's. This man seems so familiar...

"Oh thank goodness! I was getting so worried!~" The red haired man suddenly exclaimed and held me in a tight hug, leaving me very red and flustered. "I... um... ah... e-excu-use m-me..." But the man didn't seem to hear me. I thought I would die of embarrassment until the older man hit the younger man on the head.

"Oi! Am I not allowed to fret for her well-being?!" The red haired man screeched at the green haired man, who gave a scowl.

"You can fret for her well-being! But you're not allowed to just hug her out of the blue! Look at how uncomfortable you've made her!" The older man seemed to have reminded the younger man of something, because the red haired man's eyes suddenly went wide with surprise and remorse.

He turned to me, and soon fell into a dogeza. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, Yukimura-sama!" I sat there frozen. "Yu-Yukimura...sama?"

 **|| Azure: I wrote this part a while ago, but I still have a long way to go for this chapter. Until I am able to finish, here is a sneak peek ;;v;; hehe enjoy for now! ||**


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